Those Were The Days
by D.A. Smith
Summary: Molly Hooper met Sherlock Holmes in college. At first, she thought he was a show off and kind of a jerk. After a while, they became really good friends, until, inevitably, she started falling for him. No spoilers, since this is before the actual series takes place.
1. Chapter 1

_**D.A. Smith:**_**So, after writing ****_The Return, _****which had a lot of flashbacks and back-stories, I decided to just extend Sherlock and Molly's backstory and showed them in their college years. This would serve as a prequel to ****_The Return _****but don't have to necessarily read ****_The Return _****to be able to understand it and vice-versa. Hope you like it, though! And review! :) **

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**CHAPTER 1**

My name is Molly Hooper, and this is the story of how I met, got to know, and ultimately fell hopelessly in love with a mysterious man called Sherlock Holmes. Most things were good in life. I was in college. That was good. I had friends. That was good. The only thing ruining my good mood every day when I was twenty-one years old was that my father had left last year. Cancer. (Fuck you, cancer)

He had suffered a long while, and as bad as it sounds, I was relieved to see him go and be at peace. No more hurt, no more pain. His loss took away a part of me. Still, after a year, I had learned to live with the pain. My mother learned to live with his absence. She moved on too quickly for my taste. And I was mad at her for that. After all, it had been only a year. I wanted her to move on, just…not as quickly.

It was my junior year in college and I had known my way around campus for a while. Let me just say, I'm a little clumsy. I'm the kind of person that would crash into a wall because I was thinking about something else. That first day of junior year, it wasn't a wall. It was a person. I was so embarrassed. I had almost spilled my coffee on his blue scarf! I said sorry and ran, trying to run away from the shame, to my next class.

That first class passed swiftly. I enjoyed it, actually. I was very much looking forward to this class. Next class was Biochemistry. I checked my schedule for the room. _Bell Hall 243. _Ugh. I hated that building. It was so….dark. Anyhow, nothing to do here. I walked to my new classroom and sat in the middle-back.

I took out my notebook, three pens and grinned like an idiot. I was really excited. There were a lot of people in this room, so much so that the seats were quickly filling up. I looked around to my new classmates. I didn't know anyone, or, at least, didn't find anyone I knew.

I heard a sigh behind me and a guy sat down on the seat at my left. He was kind of tall, (taller than me, but many people were taller than me), had ruffled, dark black hair and piercing blue eyes. His skin was really pale, which made me wonder if I placed him against the sunlight, would I be able to see through him?

Then I saw the scarf. Blue scarf. Damn it! It was the guy I crashed into this morning! I looked away as my phone vibrated, my face completely red. Text from my mom. I left it open and ignored it. The guy to my right looked at me, his collar up and his arms crossed as if realle bored. He leaned back.

"You were homeschooled, weren't you?"

I wasn't sure if he was talking to me. "Are you…talking to me?"

"Yes. You were homeschooled. A family member just died, probably your father. You are still mourning him, but are really mad at your mom for moving on too quickly. You just hate her new boyfriend."

Totally shocked, I replied "How did you know all that?"

"I knew you were homeschooled because you seem really excited even though this is a junior class. No one above sophomore is that excited to take a class unless it's still really new to them or they are passionate about the subject. Your notebook implies you haven't studied the second option is not plausible.

I knew your father died because you have his picture as a wallpaper. How did I knew he was your father, you ask? Well, he looks like you. Can't be a brother. And how about your mom? Well, the text she just sent said, '_Please sweetie, don't be mad at me for moving on_.' "

I looked down and saw my nokia cellphone displaying my mom's message. "That is…amazing." I said.

He looked at me, seemingly surprised. "You think that's amazing?"

"Yeah. You have talent. Kind of like…a detective."

He huffed. "A detective. No one does that anymore. It's not a good career. I would be a good one though. I bet I would be the best."

"Not modest at all." I commented, smiling to the front of the classroom. The professor had just come in and asked for the class's attention.

"Good morning class." The professor started, his glasses sparkling, reflecting the light of the room. "I'm Professor Clark and for the next semester we will be studying the fascinating subject of Biochemistry. First, though, let me tell you about myself. I graduated from Cornell and just moved to England. I have a wife-"

"Not for long." The guy to my right said, a little too loudly.

The Professor ignored him. "Two kids-"

"She will gain custody."

Professor Clark seemed annoyed at this early interruption and decided to address it, probably so no other student would interrupt him later in the semester. "I'm sorry, do you have something to say about _my _life?"

"Actually," the guy said, elevating his voice, "Yes. The folds on your shirt say you haven't ironed it in a while. Well, _you _haven't. Your wife was the one who usually did it, but she hasn't been paying much attention to you lately. Your glasses, your eyes and your shoes, they all tell me lack of attention at home and you haven't had sex in weeks, judging by your leg's movement and constant shift of balance side. You are impatient. You suspect you are being cheated on, and let me just reassure you. You _are _being cheated on. And, yes. With the mailman."

I gaped. The guy had said all of this in a really fast speed. So fast you could barely hear his explanation. Professor Clark looked at the guy and simply said, "Get out."

"But.."

"Get out!"

The guy picked up his stuff and left the classroom, his collar up and his walking dignified. Professor Clark jumped to the subject and didn't want to speak about himself anymore. I could see he was beginning to make associations in his head, as he ended class early and ran, calling his wife on the way outside.

I walked out of the classroom and saw that guy sitting on a bench, his feet up a table and his hands behind his head. I approached him. Even though I thought it was funny the way he said his deductions, it didn't mean he had to say it in front of the whole class. He made the professor embarrassed.

"I know I said you have amazing abilities but, really, you are kind of a jerk about them."

He turned around, looked at me and said, "Oh, it's you." He turned back around and looked.

I walked around the bench and faced him. "Really. You shouldn't have said that in front of everyone."

"And you shouldn't be walking with hot coffee without paying attention. Hot coffee can burn."

I sighed and said, "You should apologize to him. Just saying. He could hurt your GPA."

He looked at me with those deep blue eyes and replied, "Well, that's kind of my thing, Molly. I have amazing abilities, but people generally think I am an asshole."

I was about to come up with an answer to that when I noticed something. "How did you know my name?"

"It's on your bag. Molly H."

I smiled. Way too obvious. "You know my name. What's yours?"

He looked at me with those bright blue eyes and said, "Sherlock Holmes."


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2 **

"And the professor, obviously, kicked him out. So that was interesting. How was _your _first day?" I had told my best friend Lila everything about the weird guy in my biochemistry class. She was sitting with her legs crossed at the foot of my bed in our tiny dorm. I told her about how he seemed to know everything with just one glimpse, how he deduced the professor's wife's infidelity and how he managed to get kicked out. Honestly, it had been the most interesting part of my first day.

Lila just stared at me, her mouth opened with astonishment as she tried to formulate a sentence. "People are so weird. Especially with those kind of names!"

I nodded. What kind of name was _Sherlock Holmes _anyway? How do you even come up with something like that? Still, it kind of suited him. It was odd. _He_ was peculiar. Lila then started telling me about her day and her meeting with some kind of big guy or something. I don't know. I wasn't really paying attention. There was some loud music playing down the hall that was distracting me, but I tried to ignore it. Sounded like the Beatles. I _loved _the Beatles.

Maybe I started lip syncing to _Hey Jude, _since Lila tried to get back my attention. "Sorry," I said and tried listening.

A few hours later, the music was still playing. I was trying to read ahead for my anatomy class, but the music was so freaking distracting. Lila couldn't stand it. "That's it!" She said, slamming her own book shut. "We're going to talk to whoever is making that much noise! This is ridiculous!"

I didn't mind. It was good music. But, yeah, I could see her point. At least, lower it down so we could study a bit. I nodded, placed a bookmark where I left off and followed Lila, who was already out the door. She walked down the hall almost stomping her feet, following the sound of _Yesterday. _I was singing softly to my insides the lyrics.

Finally, we reached the source. It was room 205, just five rooms down the hall. We were in room 210. The music was ridiculously loud, though. Lila knocked on the door hysterically and with great force. The door opened in a swing and a tall man with dark, curly hair and piercingly blue eyes revealed himself through the doorway. _Sherlock Holmes. _He just stared at us.

"Could you lower the music?" Lila asked as loud as she could without yelling.

"What?" He replied, his eyebrows pushing themselves together.

"Could you lower the music?" Lila repeated, this time a little bit louder.

"No, I heard you. I just couldn't comprehend why you would want me to lower it down?"

"Uh," Lila rolled her eyes and said a little sarcastically, "respect?"

"Uh," Sherlock mimicked, "Respect my music, then." And he slammed the door closed on our face.

I gaped. How rude!

"Did you see that?" Lila asked me pointing to the closed door, astonished. She didn't need me to answer. She started knocking on the door furiously.

Sherlock opened the door again, sighing.

"Lower the music! We need to study!" She demanded.

He just looked at her as if he was bothered by the request.

I cleared my throat and in my softest voice I asked, "Could you _please_ lower the music?"

He suddenly looked at me, as if he barely noticed I was there. He sighed and said, "Finally I hear the word _please._" He closed the door and suddenly the music was lower.

Lila looked at me, sudden surprise crossing her face. "He listened to you." She muttered.

"He's the biochemistry guy." I said as if that explained anything.

"He's rude."

"Yeah." I shrugged.

"But …he _listens _to you."

"He's a jerk."

Her surprised look did not leave. Back in the dorm, she kept saying that in case we needed anything, she could send me. "If we need him to shut up, you can shut him up. If he's being an asshole in biochemistry, you can make him stop."

I shook my head, picking up my book and opening it up where I had left off. "I'm never talking to him again. Not after the way he treated you."

"Yes, he's an asshole, and yes he is rude. _But,_" Lila climbed to my bed and stared at me intently, "he's smart. Didn't you tell me that with just one glance he could tell a whole person's life?"

I nodded without taking my eyes off a diagram on page 15.

"Well," Lila continued, obviously excited, "he could tell you which guy is perfect for us. Like, who drinks, who smokes, who just wants sex. If he has mother issues, stuff like that, you know? You can basically discard guys without them breaking your heart!"

"And what's the fun in that?" I asked her, finally putting my book down. "If you can't find yourself getting to know a person, falling for them and then having your heart broken until you find the one that doesn't, how do you gain experience? I mean, how would you know when you've found _the one_? How would you know what type of guys you're attracted to if you never give anyone a chance because some random guy tells you they are probably attached to their mothers?"

Lila laughed. "You seriously rather have your heart broken multiple times than save an unbroken one to your soul mate?"

I smiled, "I would rather differentiate between being truly in love than settle for something safe."

Again, Lila laughed. "Molly, I know you. You would pick safe over adventurous."

That was probably true. I never took any risks. "I would like to pick adventurous someday."

"You won't."

I sighed. "I know. But still," I shifted my body so that I would be facing her, "I would like to live one of those awesome movie romances where everybody roots for us, you know?"

"That's every girl's dream." She agreed. "But this is real life. Those kind of romances do not exist."

I nodded and we were quiet for some time. Lila suddenly lifted her head and asked, "So, no on the whole weird guy plan?"

I giggled and threw her a pillow.


	3. Chapter 3

**_D.A. Smith: _**_I believe I haven't talked to you guys reading this. Hello! You are awesome! Yes, you! Don't look behind you! You, looking at this monitor, reading squiggles you call letters. You are the most awesomest person for reading this! Thank you __J__Hope you like it so far. I'm certainly trying my best at this. Quick shout out to Aviatress, Rosilynne, TheWhiteWolfLady22, Whoovian, ashlanielle, and obsessiveicequeen who have joined this little community by subscribing. You guys are magnificent! Thank you for taking that small step forward and clicking the alert button. It makes me so happy. So, no further ado, here is the next installment. Hope you like it and please feel free to review. _

**CHAPTER 3**

After Monday comes Tuesday.

That was all my brain could manage after hours of intensive study on a subject I hadn't actually started. I didn't want to fall behind. I promised myself this semester I would be good. So good, I would read ahead, take notes, make flashcards, an outline and dedicate at least a day to each subject. Monday was Biochemistry day, and after Monday came Tuesday.

My desk was flooded with saliva when I woke up. I had obviously fallen asleep at some point during my study session and had drooled on the desk's wood. Fighting the urge to keep sleeping, I opened my heavy eyes with all the strength I had. It was light already outside. I could see the sunrays coming through the window, gently caressing the perfectly done twin bed. I looked towards Lila's bed and found it equally empty.

She hadn't come home.

Last night, at around eight, she'd decided that this was too much studying for the first day of class and needed to get out. She said she knew of a party at a frat house, and even though she insisted we should assist, I had declined. She went alone.

I lifted my head from the desk slowly and tasted my own mouth. I yawned. I was so sleepy. What time was it?

9:00am.

On Tuesday.

Tuesday comes after Monday. I scratched my head and yawned again until I realized mid-yawn, _Tuesday comes after Monday! _

_Oh, crap! _

I jumped out of the desk's chair and ran to my closet to grab something to wear. Anything. I changed at the speed of a bullet. How could I fall asleep like that? I had lab practice at 9:30. I would have to run to the other side of campus to make it to class in time. I wore jeans and a graphic _Queen _T-shirt. I loved that band. I tried to manage my hair into a ponytail but only got as a result a very messy …bull's tail. It looked nothing like a _pony_tail.

My blue converse were on my feet a few moments later, I grabbed my backpack, and I ran with them down the stairs, the latter bouncing against my back with each accelerated step I took.

I made it to the building at 9:35, completely out of breath and not able to feel my legs. _Memo to myself: Go to the Gym. _

I leaned to a wall, trying to recover my strength and took out my class schedule from my binder to look for the room number. _Physical Sciences 421. _I half-laughed half-cried by knowing I had to climb three more floors.

I took the stairs.

By the time I found the room, the door was closed ajar. I could hear a voice inside, explaining the procedure of the experiment. I sighed. It was so embarrassing to enter a class when it had already started, but I had no other choice. I opened the door enough for me to enter and the voice silenced. I could feel everyone look at me.

The T.A., a guy that looked around twenty five standing in front of the class, looked at me and said, giving no importance to my lateness, "Pick a lab partner". He kept explaining while I looked at the prospects. Every singles person was standing in front of a computer, each with a person standing next to each other. They had all picked partners.

Except one.

The only guy standing in front of a computer completely alone, his hands up front, looking at the T.A attentively. I shook my head, not believing my luck. Looked like my lab partner would be none other than Sherlock Holmes.

I walked towards him defeated and let my bag drop as I leaned on the counter behind us. Without looking at me, he muttered, "I'm glad to be working with you, too."

"Sarcasm?" I asked, equally ignoring his face, trying my best to concentrate on the T.A's explanation and powerpoint presentation.

He puffed. "No." I looked at him. He was smiling. "Not really."

Weird.

The powerpoint presentation with directions came to an end and the T.A let us start the experiment. Everyone started putting on their white lab coats. Sherlock looked through his backpack and took his out.

I freaked out. With all the rushing this morning, I had forgotten mine.

"Here," Sherlock said, handing me his coat. I looked at him, dumbfounded. "Take it." He demanded, shaking the coat in front of me.

Nervously taking the coat out his hands and holding it between my fingers, I asked "What would you wear?"

"I brought another one," he said, taking another white coat out of his backpack. "It's the first lab day. Someone had to forget."

_And it had to be me. _I put on the lab coat. It smelled clean, like lavender fabric softener. He started taking Erlenmeyer and volumetric flasks. I started setting up the distillation equipment and we both worked. It was kind of nice working with him. We didn't actually talk to each other. It was quiet, we didn't tell the other what we were doing but, somehow, we knew. It was like we each knew our role.

We did our solution and after some minutes we started distilling. Now, distillation usually takes a while, so we waited, staring at the drops of water go up the center tube and fall onto the small flask at the other side while watching the Bunsen burner so nothing burns.

While we waited, I remembered what he had done the day before. How he had treated Lila. "You need to apologize," I muttered. "It was horrible how you treated my friend." I kept my eyes on the distillation equipment, not wanting to meet his face. Even so, I could feel his eyes on me.

"Apologize?"

"Yes. For your attitude."

"If I had to apologize for my attitude every time someone's being stupid, I would never be done."

I turned to him. "She wasn't being stupid! We wanted to study and your music was very distracting."

He rolled his eyes. "Fine. It will never happen again."

"Thank you."

When we were done, I gave him back his lab coat, thanking him, and headed back to my dorm.


	4. Chapter 4

**_D.A Smith: _**_Give a warm welcome to Wendy Darling 88,_ _Julaannnndrr, and Childatheart28 who just subscribed! Welcome! Hope all of you reading this like the next chapter. It's not much, but it might be the beginning of something :D I'm really excited to be writing this, and now that finals are almost over I will have more time to write, so updates might be more frequent (wohooo!). Your reviews make my day! And, as always, thank you for reading! _

**CHAPTER 4**

"So, after the being a little difficult, he finally asked me out." Lila said excited as she bit her red apple. We were sitting in the dining hall for supper. Lila had been telling me all about the boy she met the day before and how she managed to get a date with him next Saturday. "He's a business major! He wears a suit! He is so mature and handsome."

I nodded along. Lila was so excited she had been talking about him for the last half an hour. Sebastian Wilkes, was his name. And, apparently, the only name worth mentioning. "What are you planning on wearing?" I asked her as I got a piece of spaghetti with my fork.

"I don't know! We totally have to go shopping. I don't think I have _anything_ to wear. Like, at all."

I giggled and shook my head. She _never _had anything to wear. Like any woman on planet Earth. Any excuse is a good excuse to go shopping. "You got it!" I exclaimed and put the spaghetti in my mouth. It wasn't as bad as I expected it to be.

"Ugh," Lila rolled her eyes and stared behind me, "talking about boys."

I turned around and saw Sherlock enter the dining hall. He looked everywhere, his nose high in the air and his usual blank expression. "He's not _that_ bad. He said he was sorry." _Kind of._

"When did he say that?"

"This morning." Lila stared at me as if she had never seen me, smirking a little. "Turns out, he's my new lab partner." My tone was unenthusiastic. I was still trying to figure out if I liked him or didn't. He was _so _rude, and show off, and kind of a jerk, really. But, the fact he carried around a lab coat in case someone needed it showed he might not be as bad. In fact, his action was kind of nice.

"Wow! So, our little plan is still on?"

I laughed, "_Your _little plan? No. At least not on my side."

I watched as he took a bowl of spaghetti and a soda can and walked to an empty table. He sat alone. And it looked like he wasn't expecting anyone to sit with him, since he started reading a book. Agatha Christie's _The Mysterious Affair at Styles._ I kind of felt sorry for him. Being the way he is, it must be hard to make friends.

I bit my lower lip.

"Seriously, Molly?" Lila asked as she watched my expression. "You are _so_ adorable. You can't see anyone alone."

I sighed. "Well, he _is _alone. How many friends do you expect him to have?"

She looked at him and lowered her left eyebrow. "None with that attitude."

"Exactly." I said and stood up, taking my bowl of spaghetti with me.

"Seriously, Molls?"

I smiled and nodded. Lila rolled her eyes but followed.

I placed my spaghetti bowl in the seat next to him. He didn't even look up. "Mind if we sit here?"

He gestured with his hand to take a seat as he kept reading.

"I love that book," I commented as I sat down.

Sherlock looked at me questioningly, "You've read _The Mysterious Affair at Styles_?"

I nodded. "Hercule Poirot's debut. I just love his stories. He is just weird and funny and clever." I didn't mention I used to have a crush on Poirot when I was younger. It was strange that I was such a fan of his when I was young, to the point of being in love with a fictional character.

Sherlock puffed. "Not as clever as he thinks he is. He can't solve the case fast enough. Everything is right there in front of his nose."

"And you can solve the case faster than the actual detective?"

"Easily." He replied and went back to his book. "But, I must admit, his stories are the most interesting detective stories I have found."

I nodded.

"So, Hooper. How can I help you?"

I looked at Lila and she shrugged. "Hmm," I said, trying to find some way to say I felt sorry for him sitting by himself and was just giving him company without actually saying it. "Thanks for the lab coat, again, that was so nice of you."

He closed one eye, thinking about my answer. "No," he decided, "That wasn't it."

I sighed. "We need to the lab report. We should separate it so we do equal amount of work."

He shook his head. "Still not what you came to me for."

Annoyed, I looked away. Why did he have to be so difficult? I was just trying to be nice. "Then what did I come to you for?"

"You felt sorry for me. You think I need friends." He casually sipped from his soda can while I looked at him astonished.

"That's so not true." Lila said, trying to revert the situation.

Sherlock placed his fingers on his nose, rubbing it as if he was going to explain something really difficult. After a few seconds, he took his fingers away from his face and sighed. "You two were sitting over there," He said, pointing to our previous table, "saw me and came to sit with me. Either one of you has a crush on me and wanted to flirt or you felt sorry for my loneliness. It can't be the first one, since none of your pupils are dilated. It must be the second option, then, to which I must say, I don't mind being lonely. I've being lonely my whole life."

"But that doesn't mean you actually _want _to be lonely." I replied, looking at him.

He didn't answer for a moment. He stared at me as if he was trying to decide if he wanted to be lonely or not. Finally, he replied proudly, "Do what you must."

I smirked. "We will. From now on, Sherlock Holmes, you don't _have _to be lonely. You can choose to be, but never _have _to."

"You have the choice now." Lila added.

He looked at both of us like a little kid looking at his mom, trying to decide what to do based on her reaction. "Okay." He muttered.

"Okay," I echoed with a grin. "So, what other classes are you taking?" And we all talked through dinner.


	5. Chapter 5

**_D.A Smith: _**_Hello, WinterValentine, Pheobe Arocis, Greecemaria1, lavanyalabelle, and fictitiousmoose, and welcome to our club :p The club of people subscribed to this fanfic haha. Thanks to the people who have reviewed! You make my day! So, here is the next chapter. Hope you like it and feel free to review. Hugs! _

**CHAPTER 5**

Wednesday arrived with rain, dirt, and a great opportunity. As I walked through campus, trying to avoid the pools of water and mud, I saw a flyer requesting help in a lab. I took the information and set up an appointment for an interview on Friday. That meant, I definitively had to go shopping for something formal. Like I said, any excuse is a good excuse.

I attended Physical chemistry with a smile on my face. Working on a lab would seriously help my career. I'd gain experience and it would look great in my curriculum. This was awesome!

I was so happy, I arrived to Biochemistry early. I was practically flying, not minding the mud or anything. I sat down in the exact same seat I had seated on last class. It seemed weird to change seats after the first day. I saw Sherlock come in a few minutes later. I tried not to stare at him or expect him to seat with me. After all, we'd given him a choice. If he wanted to talk to us or be a friend, he could. He didn't _have _to. Although, it would be nice to have someone I knew in Biochemistry.

He sat to my right and I exhaled.

"Hey!" I greeted, smiling at him in a friendly manner.

"Hey," he replied coolly, his ever expressionless face looking up front. We were both quiet for a moment until he said, "Thanks".

"For what?" I asked trying to remember why he would be thankful for.

He seemed uncomfortable. He kept looking up front as he said, "Yesterday. Sitting with me. You're right. I don't _want_ to be alone. I just…am."

I smiled and touched his arm. "No, you're not. Not now. If you ever need anything, just let us know."

He looked at my hand touching his arm as if no one had ever touched him before and I retreated it. "You are too nice, Hooper. I find it difficult to understand."

"Understand why I'm so nice?"

"Yes. No one can be this nice."

I giggled. "If that's a compliment, thank you very much."

"I've never met…" He stopped mid-sentence and stared at someone who had just entered. It was a guy wearing a gray hoodie and sunglasses. "Hooper, it was raining this morning, right?"

"Yes," I answered, finding it odd that he would ask that question. It hadn't stopped raining since 6am and it was already noon.

"Then, why is that guy dry?"

I looked at the guy in the hoodie. It was true. He was completely dry. "Maybe he's been in this building since this morning and has already dried up?" I suggested.

"No. That's not it. There's not even mud on his shoes. He hasn't been outside at all."

"So, what?" I asked.

"If he hasn't been outside at all, how did he get here? The building opens at seven, time at which it had already started raining." He stopped for a moment and then said smiling, "Ah, he sleeps here."

"What?" I asked, staring at the guy.

"He's taking classes and sleeping somewhere in this building. Probably the bathroom. All of it for free. He isn't a registered student. He's just here for fun."

"Seriously?" I asked him, shocked. "Wouldn't he be caught?"

"Not if you're clever enough. Look at his pants, the way they are folded. He's been sleeping here for the last three days. He's homeless."

I blinked. "How can you tell he's homeless?"

"His hoodie. Too big for him and too dirty and old. His tan, too much exposition to the sun. Lack of hygiene and other factors. His hair is too tangled. Yet, he craves higher education. Isn't that odd?" He stood up and walked over to the guy in the hoodie, his hands inside his pockets.

I stared, wide-eyed, and gulped as I saw Sherlock greeting the hoodie-man. They interchanged a few words and Sherlock came back, walking coolly while the Hoodie-guy seemed happy.

"What did you tell him?" I asked as Sherlock took a seat beside me.

"Nothing. That I liked his hoodie and asked where could I get a similar one?"

I smiled and replied, "No offense, but that sounded a little bit gay."

"Why would that be an offense?"

"Are you?"

"No, but I still don't see the offense."

_Good point, _I thought.

Class started right on time. Mr. Clark started his lecture with questions from last time. He constantly picked on Sherlock, knowing full well he wasn't present for last class and obviously trying to embarrass him. Joke was on him, though. Sherlock replied as if he had been here the whole lesson and/or swallowed a whole textbook.

"Definition of Biochemistry"

"Branch of science concerned with the chemical and physicochemical processes that occur within living organisms."

"Four main classes of molecules in this subject."

"Carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids"

"Difference between each."

Everything he was asked, Sherlock replied rapidly, with ease and without even stopping to think for a moment. At one point, I was afraid he wasn't even stopping to take a breath. It was…impressive. Finally, Professor Clark gave up and continued with his lecture.

"Too easy." Sherlock said under his breath, only for me to hear. "So easy, it's disappointing."

I looked at him and realized…this guy was really smart. "Did you study?" I asked, equally muttering.

"Nah. Just skimmed."

_Wow. _

Class passed without incidents. Professor Clark decided not to ask any more questions, especially not to Sherlock, and class finished by leaving a us homework. As he stood up and picked up his bag, Sherlock turned to me and asked, "About lab, how would you like to divide the lab report?"

Behind him, I could see two girls walking, looking at him and giggling in a flirty manner. One of the girls was wearing a short skirt while the other wore really skinny jeans and high heels. I rolled my eyes. I had known those girls for two years. They had been in some of my classes and, let me say this, they were easier than brushing your teeth. I had seen those girls make out with boy after boy after boy, and they even had a reputation for going to bed faster than a bullet.

Personally, I didn't like them. But, since they were so easy, many guys were after them. Hence, their popularity. "Hmm…" I started, looking at Brittany and Nicole, who were now checking Sherlock out, moving their eyes from down up and giggling. "I can do the Introduction, abstract, materials and procedure."

Sherlock nodded. "Fine, I'll do the calculations, results and conclusion."

"Sounds fine by me."

"Ok, see you later." He left. I gathered my things and picked up my bag.

Nicole, the one wearing the mini skirt, walked to me and said in her high voice, "Hey, Molly. Who's your friend?"

I don't know why, but I felt the need to respond, _Keep away from him. _I mean, I simply didn't like them. Instead, I responded, "Sherlock."

"Unusual name." She commented.

"Unusual guy."

"Interesting." She bit her lower lip and asked, "Are you two going out?"

I shook my head.

"Great." She replied, turned, making her long hair fly against the wind like a whip, and walked away, moving her hips from side to side. _Whore. _

I left class annoyed.


	6. Chapter 6

**_D.A Smith: _**_JBailey, LadyALover95, and Silencebeyondthestars: Welcome! Hope you guys like the next part! Thanks to the Guest that reviewed, by the way. I couldn't respond to it, but I just wanted to say, Thank you! :D  
So….here we go! _

**CHAPTER 6**

Wednesday was Physical Chemistry day. I sat on my bed with a bunch of colored flashcards and a blue inked pen. I reached for my notebook and started comparing my notes with the textbook lying to my right, cross-referencing important information, and passing that information to my flashcards. I did this for a couple of hours, until Lila walked into the dorm, slamming the door behind her and stomping her way to her bed.

"Something wrong?" I asked, looking at her as she let herself fall to the mattress face down.

"Really harsh day today. Definitely hate Wednesdays. " Her muffled voice said, her face buried in a pillow.

"Too much work?"

Her head lifted from the pillow and looked at me. "Just like a fifteen-hundred word essay on ancient civilizations."

"You can manage it. I can help you if you want, although I'm not a history major."

"Just proofread my essay. I struggle with writing so much." She sat now in her bed with her legs crossed. "Want to go shopping today?"

"Yes!" I exclaimed. "I have to get something for my interview this Friday!"

"You got an interview?! For what?!"

I told Lila about the lab and she was so excited, she took my hand and dragged me to the door. "We can get something formal for you, something cute for me. It's going to be the best shopping experience ever!"

We shopped until we dropped. Literally. We sat completely tired on a bench outside of a department store. And we only ended up with a dress each, which was pretty good. At least we got _something. _Her dress was a polka dot dress with not too much cleavage and mine was a plain dark blue dress, length below the knee.

"I'm hungry. And so, so tired." Lila muttered, trying to catch her breath.

I only managed to nod in agreement. We had been shopping for four hours straight, which, I admit, is not that much compared to our record (seven hours on a Saturday), but I was still pretty tired. "Do you want to grab dinner on a restaurant here or go to the dining hall?"

She thought for a moment and finally said, "Let's just go to the dining hall. I need to save up my money."

"Okay." I agreed and we headed back to school.

We didn't even go to our dorm to leave our brand new dresses. We went directly to the food. Today the hall was serving a piece of steak and vegetables. I felt fancy.

"Great food today!" Lila commented as we sat down at the table we were sitting in yesterday. _Our _table, not the one we sat in with Sherlock. "I can't believe they served steak." I didn't answered since I was already eating. It was delicious. "Where's your friend, by the way?"

I looked at her questioningly.

"What's his face? Sherryl?"

I swallowed the steak and smiled. "Sherlock."

"Yeah, that guy."

I shrugged. "I don't know."

"He wasn't such an asshole. He was kind of nice. Still a jerk, though."

"What? Not an asshole but still a jerk?"

"Yeah. You know, lovable-jerk kind of guy. I mean, the kind of jerk that can't help himself? Kind of like an alien?"

I thought about it for a moment. It was true, he couldn't help himself to be the way he was. It was in his nature. "I guess," I replied.

"Still a jerk, though." She took a bite of her steak and looked up. "Speak of the devil" she said, half chewing, covering her mouth with her hand.

I turned around and saw Sherlock approaching us, empty handed. He sat to my right and looked at me directly, "You were out, right?"

I looked at him wide-eyed.

"Your bag." He said, pointing to the plastic bag containing my dress. "Not a stalker. Just an observer."

I sighed in relief. "Yes, we went out shopping."

"You haven't gone to your room, I suppose?"

I looked at Lila through the corner of my eye. She shrugged and I answered, "Eh…no. Why?"

"Great," he muttered to himself as if this was a small victory and then said to Lila and me, "There have been reports to the campus police that someone has been entering the dorms stealing stuff. The hallway cameras haven't picked up anything, not one person entering the rooms but its occupants. I haven't actually seen the crime scene, but would love to."

"And you think our room has been robbed?"

"Well, how long have you been out?" He looked to my feet and said, "Judging by the state of your feet, I would say around four hours, right? So, yeah, it's a matter of probability, since the reports started coming in two hours ago. Plus, only the bedrooms with twin beds were robbed. No single bed rooms."

"And, how exactly do you know all this?" Lila asked, taking a sip from her drink.

"They gave me a position with the campus police. Didn't I mention that? I file reports." Both Lila and I shook our heads. "Well, anyway, nothing this exciting has happened. Ever. And they wouldn't let me investigate, so can I please see if your room has been robbed? I want to see if the robber left any clue behind."

"I don't think it has been robbed." Lila responded and I agreed.

"Plus, we have to finish eating. Aren't you going to have dinner?" I said.

"No, this is too exciting. Just hurry it up."

We walked up to our floor in the dormitories and reached the door. I pointed to the lock. "See? Not forced."

"That doesn't prove anything." He replied. I rolled my eyes and entered my key, opening the door calmly.

It was a mess. Notebooks everywhere, our bed sheets on the floor, our nightstand lamp was thrown to the ground. I stared at the scene and wanted to cry. Why would anyone do this?

"How come your room is bigger than mine?" Sherlock asked, looking at the walls and the roof.

"I'll call the police," Lila said, stepping out with her cellphone in hand.

Sherlock entered the room, walking past me, his coat's collar up. I was dumfounded and completely frozen. He, on the other hand, was active, and knelt, looking at the rug closely. He took something with his hand, took a plastic bag from inside his coat and inserted it inside the clear bag. "I need to buy a magnifying glass," he said. "That would be useful." He looked at the sheets, at the lamp and at the pillows. He sniffed the air. He looked outside our window.

"What are you doing?" I asked, finally getting past the shock.

"Investigating." He replied simply.

"I know you like detective stories, but you are not Poirot."

"Of course I'm not Poirot. I'm Sherlock Holmes." He said as he took a pen and examined it. "There's a difference."

"Show off."

"Thanks." He replied absent-mindedly.


	7. Chapter 7

**_D.A. Smith: _**_Bienvenue Microsophie,ScootinJackMcCue, veiieen, Allytsuki and greeklilly to this little fanfiction! Thanks to those who have reviewed, also! You are the best! Hope you all reading this like this chapter __J_

* * *

**CHAPTER 7 **

I walked around the room trying to figure out what possibly could have been stolen. My money was still in my drawer. I counted it. It was complete. Why would someone rob a room but not take money? That was weird.

"They didn't take money, right?" Sherlock asked, looking at my desk in detail.

"No."

"Yeah, your laptop is still here." He said. "Strange. Have you found out what they stole yet?"

I shook my head. I couldn't think of anything else worth stealing. Maybe jewelry? I checked the box in the closet. It seemed to be all there. "Maybe it was just vandalism?" I suggested.

"Why go through all this trouble just to vandalize?"

I shrugged as I went through my jewelry box. "Revenge?"

He smirked. "Anyone desires revenge against you?"

"Yeah," I replied sarcastically, "Lots of people. Jealous girlfriends, jealous ex-girlfriends, jealous people in general."

He sort of laughed but I could barely hear him as a shiver filled my body. It was gone. The ring that had come in the mail a few years ago. The one that guaranteed I could have a higher education. It was gone.

"I know what's missing." I muttered, still trying to find it.

"What?" He asked, standing up and getting closer to me.

I looked at him wide-eyed, my hand still inside the small box. "My scholarship ring."

He seemed confused. "What the hell is a scholarship ring?"

"There is this scholarship where if you win it, you get a ring with your name on it as a gift besides the actual scholarship. And it's gone."

He still looked at me as if I wasn't making any sense. "Why would they take something so useless?"

"Hey!" I said a little hurt by his words. "It's valuable. It's like a symbol of how I don't have to worry about tuition."

At first he shook his head, but then he stopped, opened his eyes wide, yelled "That's it!" and ran out of the room as two policemen and Lila entered. I sighed.

"Who was that?" A policeman asked, looking back to the running image of Sherlock.

"No one. Just a …friend." It was weird saying he was my friend. That word tasted different in my lips. I mean, he'd been referred to by other people as my friend, but I hadn't actually considered him one. Until then, I guess.

"He looked awfully lot like that kid who organizes the files and insist on we should look on stupid things."

The other policeman laughed. "Oh, yeah! Like the shoelace thing! Yeah, I know who you're talking about."

Lila and I exchanged glances. She shrugged.

"Anyway, have you found what has been robbed?" One of the policemen asked. "Not _found, _but, you know, figured out?"

"Yes. A scholarship ring."

"A what?" He replied, clearly confused. I quickly explained. "No, sweetie. Something valuable."

"It's valuable to me, and it's the only thing missing." I insisted. Lila looked at me as if I was crazy, too. The policemen didn't seem to believe my story, but proceeded with the "investigation" anyway. They took pictures of the room, walked around, looked around and then left claiming they would find the culprit of this act of vandalism.

"You're not the only ones. Other rooms have been vandalized, too."

In my mind, I was shouting at them _It's not vandalism! It's a robbery!_ But I kept quiet and just nodded, saying in a mumble, "Thank you officers."

They left, leaving behind our messed up room containing an angry Molly Hooper. I actually felt better that Sherlock was "on the case". I hadn't felt those two officers had been of any help.

I stared at the roof far longer than I had expected. It was three o'clock in the morning and I hadn't been able to close my eyes to rest a little bit. And I felt itchy in the weirdest places, so I had to keep scratching. I didn't feel safe anymore. Where had the thief come from? We were on the fourth floor and the lock had not been forced. It was unlikely the robber climbed through the window to steal a single ring.

I heard footsteps outside the room. Nothing unnatural. People came and went all the time, but this time, I could see below the door a sort of shadow. It didn't move. It just stood there, both feet facing the door waiting. I sat up in my bed. Could it be the robber? Again? And if it was, what could I use to defend myself? I could get my _Harry Potter_ wand replica and poke his eye or something. I immediately regretted that idea. I didn't want my wand to get dirty with eye stuff. Maybe the lamp? A water bottle?

Oh my god, did I lock the door? I did….did I? I stepped out of my bed, looking at the door intently, my palms sweating as I got closer to it. I picked up Lila's high heeled shoe on the way. There was a soft knock on the door. A creepy knock. Probably just to make sure nobody was home or that we were both sleeping so he could come in and make a mess and rob another thing.

"Who is it?" I muttered, my voice getting lost with the fright.

There was no response, but another knock on the door. _Knock knock knock. _"If you are the robber," I said, trying my best to sound threatening but failing. "I have a weapon, and I totally know how to use it. Plus, there is a big, black belt dud in our room who will kick your ass…and I'll use my weapon." I sounded like a mouse threatening a cat. Not that I have heard any…because the threat wasn't convincing enough to make the cat go away.

"Seriously?" I heard someone mutter on the other side of the door, more like he was laughing than feeling threatened.

"Yes. Yes. A big, muscular, black dude here. He's sleeping but I can totally wake him up." What the hell was I saying? It sounded ridiculous, even to me.

"Molly, it's Sherlock. No need to wake up the big, black belt black dude."

Frowning, I opened the door, recognizing the deep voice through the door. He smiled at me as if trying to contain his laughter, his lips inside his mouth. I immediately lowered my defense mode and said, "Seriously? You scared me!"

"I can see that by the shoe." He said, looking at my "weapon". I sighed. Wrong shoe. This was a sandal.

I stepped out the room and closed the door behind me, suddenly conscious that I was on my jammies. _Great, _I thought.

"Nice pijamas," He said pointing to my white T-shirt featuring the TARDIS.

"Thanks. So, what's up? What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"

"Wondering if I should knock or not. I didn't know whether or not you were asleep."

"It's like three o'clock in the morning. What do you think the probability would be?"

"Well, considering the fact that you have been just robbed and, statistically speaking, a person can't sleep properly after being robbed, I imagined you were in fact just staring at the roof counting how many hours you would sleep if you fell asleep at that precise moment."

I was actually doing that, but I didn't tell him so. "Anyway, you wanted to knock because…"

His face suddenly changed. He seemed genuinely excited. "All the robbed rooms have a scholarship recipient residing in them. I was looking at the police computer, thanks for entertaining those two, by the way, and I found out all of them share the same scholarship. _Your _scholarship."

"And you couldn't wait until tomorrow to tell me?"

He shook his head. "Plus, tomorrow is Thursday. I don't see you tomorrow."

I thought about it for a moment and found out he was right. Tomorrow I had my electives, and I didn't think he would be taking Creative writing. "I guess you saw that on the computer, right?"

He nodded. "Sorry, I needed to know what you and the other victims had in common. I thought maybe a class, so I checked the schedules. Anyhow, you should be careful. Lila is alright, but you…you are a scholarship recipient, and I'm afraid this is just the beginning."

"You think whoever's doing this is only targeting those with scholarships?"

"Yes, and also, I believe it's more than one person."

"And you couldn't tell me tomorrow?" I asked again, scratching my shoulder.

He groaned. "I don't _see_ you tomorrow. And I think better when I'm talking out loud. If I talk to myself people look at me weird."

"Since when do you care?" I asked.

"There are levels of craziness, Molly. And you weren't asleep, anyway, so I didn't bother you."

I couldn't help it. I smiled. "Got me." I just didn't want him to think I was available around the clock. Least at three in the morning. I scratched the back of my neck. "Well, see you tomorrow."

"I don't see you tomorrow" He groaned again, as if I just didn't understand his point. Like a child explaining to his mom why a toy was necessary for everyday life.

"At the Dining Hall, dork." I smiled at him as I scratched my wrist.

He frowned. "Molly, are you okay?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"You are scratching too much." He got closer to me, looking up and down. "Can I see your wrist?" That was a weird request, but I stretched my arm out to him. There was a weird, red pimple in it. "This wasn't there before, was it?"

"You know, pimples come and go out of nowhere so.."

He circled me, examining my back. "I guess spots of blood also come and go?"

I frowned and stretched to see what he was talking about. There were small spots of red on the back of my white t-shirt. "Huh, that's weird."

He opened the door, turned on the light and entered as if it was his own dorm he was coming into. "Hey!" Lila exclaimed but went back to sleep immediately. Lila. She's kind of a sleepwalker. Those kind of people that can act as if they were fully awake, even carry a whole conversation, but is actually sleep.

Sherlock looked at my twin bed, specifically, my sheets. There were small spots in there also. "Bedbugs." He said and I wanted to faint. Those things, I'd heard, where the nastiest things ever. They lived on human blood and were extremely difficult to get rid of, since they could go into the mattress. "Wow. This people really want to mess you up."


End file.
